convert key value pair array to JSON

Question

i have a function that scans a directory and builds a key,value pair of all folders and their respective files in it.

const listNotes =  () => {
    const listing = [];
    try{
      const folders = fs.readdirSync(defaultPath);
      folders.forEach((folder) => {
        let v = fs.readdirSync(`${defaultPath}/${folder}`);
        listing[folder] = v;
      });

      
    } catch (err) {
      console.log(err);
    } 
    return listing;
  };

and this is an output of such scan

[ DailyTask: [ 'Chores.json' , 'Sunday.json'] ]

that is a folder called DailyTask containing 2 files.

How do i convert this structure to JSON.

Your secondary snippet is not valid javascript object notation. — Taplar, Aug 06 '20 at 15:06
What JSON structure do you want? Do you just want a JSON array that's the same as your JavaScript array? — Code-Apprentice, Aug 06 '20 at 15:06
@Taplar yes exactly the DailyTask isn't a string , it's just there....i don't know what data type to call it — Nathaniel Babalola, Aug 06 '20 at 15:07
Er, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that. My comment was reflective of what Code-Apprentice said. Arrays (`[]`) in javascript do not have string indexes. So if that is an object the correct object notation would be `{ DailyTask: [ 'Chores.json', 'Sunday.json' ] }` — Taplar, Aug 06 '20 at 15:09
@Taplar so you meant i should do? ```const listing = {}``` and ```listing{folder} = v;``` — Nathaniel Babalola, Aug 06 '20 at 15:11
In the end it doesn't really matter; if you have valid code that composes the object/array you're looking for, JSON.stringify is all you need to turn it into JSON. Just do `console.output(listing)` to see the structure. — , Aug 06 '20 at 15:13
`const listing = {}; listing[] = ;` You don't use `{}` when assigning the variable. Bracket notation is used both for arrays and objects, if the "key" is a variable. — Taplar, Aug 06 '20 at 15:13
@Taplar thanks fixed, i shouldn't have used square brackets, that's where the problem came from — Nathaniel Babalola, Aug 06 '20 at 15:19

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 06 '20 at 15:19

The problem with your listing variable is that it's an Array. JSON.stringify() doesn't include all the keys in the array, just the order of items, such as listing[0], listing[1]. In your case, you aren't really using listing as an array, you are using is as an object. You can just make it a object, and then when you call JSON.stringify() it will include the keys.

Solution

const listNotes =  () => {
    const listing = {};
    try{
      const folders = fs.readdirSync(defaultPath);
      folders.forEach((folder) => {
        let v = fs.readdirSync(`${defaultPath}/${folder}`);
        listing[folder] = v;
      });

      
    } catch (err) {
      console.log(err);
    } 
    return listing;

    //If you want to convert to JSON
    console.log(JSON.stringify(listing));
  };

thanks, yeah that was my mistake – Nathaniel Babalola Aug 06 '20 at 15:20 — Nathaniel Babalola, Aug 06 '20 at 15:20

convert key value pair array to JSON

1 Answers1